


memento mori

by antikytheras



Category: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street - Natasha Pulley
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Spoilers, don't read if you haven't read pepperharrow, post-Pepperharrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23362789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antikytheras/pseuds/antikytheras
Summary: Mori reads the articles about his unfortunate demise.
Relationships: Keita Mori/Thaniel Steepleton
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	memento mori

Mori did not bother hiding his amusement as he sifted through the numerous newspaper clippings in his hands. ‘It would seem that reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.’

Earlier that day, Six had handed the collection of raggedy papers to him with the same kind of gravity with which she demanded her bedtime readings on thermodynamics. Thaniel suspected that it was her idea of a gift. Welcome back to the living, congratulations on being alive or something.

Thaniel, on the other hand, found himself slightly put off by Mori’s continued callousness toward his dalliances with death. If he didn’t know him better, he’d almost accuse him of enjoying the thrill of tossing his life into the clairvoyant equivalent of a meat grinder.

Once Mori realised that the silence had stretched for too long, he looked up at Thaniel. It was an awkward, pained action, especially now that he had no shape to grasp for a hint of Thaniel’s potential responses.

Thaniel let him read his face with his dark eyes. He could almost convince himself that he was being kind by doing so.

Mori’s shoulders dropped. ‘I’m sorry.’ His voice was quiet, dull unpolished gold.

‘Kei,’ Thaniel said, enunciating each word clearly, because now he could no longer convey his feelings with intent alone, ‘I’m sure this doesn’t need to be said, but you do know that I would be very put out if you had actually died?’

It wasn’t a question. Not really.

Mori flinched at the last word and lowered his gaze. He was silent for a long moment.

‘I do now,’ he said, at long last.

There was no point being angry. It would only hurt them both.

So with a sigh, Thaniel leaned over and forced his tone into a jovial one while he peered at the print on the topmost article. ‘Did they really think a gaijin managed to get his hands on a sword _and_ best a baron in a jousting match?’

He watched Mori’s hand twitch, ever so slightly, and then the golden glow returned to his face and he looked content once again, no longer afraid of an imagined possibility where Thaniel remained angry at him for his obfuscating stupidity.

‘This one is a tabloid,’ Mori explained. ‘It also insinuates that you were having an affair with my wife.’

He spoke of Takiko so easily.

Thaniel only realised that his grip had gone white-knuckled after Mori rested his long fingers on the back of his hand. Mori said nothing, only searching Thaniel’s face with his anxious eyes. He had not yet learned to read people subtly, but even that was only a matter of time.

Thaniel’s voice sounded like the wrong shade of a copper twang in his own ears. It was too thick, too solid for the cracks. ‘How—’

‘I made her a promise,’ Mori said quietly, a tired smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ‘I did well enough to fulfil it, I would hope.’ He did not offer more in the way of explanation.

Thaniel forced himself to relax. ‘I see.’

Mori’s gaze held unmasked concern, but Thaniel kept quiet, and so he did not push. Instead, he shuffled the papers in his hands. It took Thaniel a moment to realise that he was idly arranging them into some kind of order.

He groaned. ‘Please tell me you’re feeding that to the fireplace.’

Mori laughed, as light and carefree as the silvery tinkling of wind chimes, and reached into his bedside drawer for a familiar diary. ‘And ruin such a thoughtful gift from Six? Never.’

**Author's Note:**

> i've never dared to write for this series because the fics in the tag are all so beautiful but i just finished reading pepperharrow and i have So Many Feelings


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